RALEIGH, NC (AP) -- A new audit says North Carolina's state health plan for workers could be overpaying millions of dollars a year because of shoddy tracking of medical claims.

State Auditor Beth Wood's office released an audit Tuesday estimating that the North Carolina State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees may have overpaid more than $48 million between the 2008 and 2010 fiscal years.

The audit says the state plan doesn't follow up on potential overpayments identified by outside companies hired as auditors. The report also says officials don't provide adequate oversight on those outside companies.

The state plan ensures about 662,000 teachers, state employees, retirees and other groups. In the last fiscal year, it paid out roughly $2.4 billion in claims.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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